The holiday twist.

As many of you may remember, I've spent the past several years trying to sort out my feelings about the Christmas holiday. I've come to terms with my religious views (re: I don't have any, I'm agnostic), but it's still been a bit of a stumper how to enjoy the holiday season. I want to partake in the lights and the festive mood, but sans Jesus. Is that doable? I don't know...and I have a Jewish husband to bear in mind, too. We're working on it.

Also on the brain for the past few years has been the issue of gift-giving. I love giving gifts, and while I like the idea of someday having some kids and letting them wake up to a Chrismakkah morning full of dreidels and presents, something about it feels so commercialized and gross, you know? All that money spent mostly on things that are forgettable. It's something my family has been talking about for years now - maybe we should skip the gifts and just BE together and see how that feels. One thing we'd always talked about was maybe taking all the money we would have spent on gifts and transportation to be together for the holidays and instead taking a trip together.

Well, friends, this is the year. The Hyde family is issuing a moratorium on gift giving for the 2010 holiday season, in favor of (drumroll, please...)

 

HOLIDAY IN DUBLIN!

Yes, that's right, friends. The Hyde clan will be traveling to Ireland to ring in the New Year! I'm pretty pumped about this, I don't mind tellin' ya (said in an Irish accent, of course). There will be much revelry - and ale! So much ale! And stouts, and porters, and WHISKEY! In pubs with Irish people! Let's look at some more droll pictures, shall we?

 

Cool architecture!

 

PUBS!

 

Castles!!!

So you may be thinking, January? Ireland? Won't that be cold? In a word, YES. But friends, my parents live in Maine. It doesn't get much colder than Bar Harbor, Maine at the holidays, so really, it's sort of a toss-up. If I'm going to be cold, I may as well be cold in IRELAND. 

Also, it is absolutely true, we're finding, that we can go to Ireland for less money than it would cost us to go to Maine and buy gifts for the family. Amazing, no?

Jay and I will likely ring in the new year on an all-night flight across North America and the Atlantic and land in Dublin on the morning of January 1. We'll probably stay a week, and the family will all gather and make merry.

So if any of you have traveled to Ireland, I would love tips for things to do and see in Dublin - especially if you were there in the winter! And I'm also collecting information about their transportation options and things to see nearby. We Hydes like castles, and also pots of gold, if there are any to be found.

 

Comments

[adaena]

Now that is a Christmas gift I can get behind :) Awesome!

[jeanette]

That's fabulous! I can't wait to read all about it.

[Amanda]

We've been thinking about doing something similar when the kids are a bit older and more portable. Have an awesome time in Dublin!

[Lisa (rav = danea)]

That's awesome! Now that we live across the country from both of our families, we've settled on a 3-year cycle of one year in Charlotte with my family, one year with his wherever they choose to gather, and one year here to ourselves. I'd love to incorporate a good trip into that, but Rick's not quite there yet. We'll see. I'm hoping in the next year or two we may make it a trip to see where I grew up.

[Carolyn]

Totally in LOVE with this idea! Can't wait to hear all about the adventures and see the pictures!

[Badpie24]

YAY! This sounds like so much fun! I wish I could whiskey it up with the Hydes in January!

[Tammy]

We were there in August and it was wonderful! I can't say the same for winter though. I think it might be a tad bit cold. Dh said it's close to the same longitude or latitude as Vancouver BC. We walked pretty much everywhere we went. We bought an On/Off tour pass, I think it was for three days, but we only used it a couple of times. Go to Guinness! It is so easy to drink a pint while you are there vs one here in the US. Also try Aspel's Cider, very good, and in Temple Bar is the only brewpub in town. It's called Porter's Brewpub. It's a lot like the ones here in the Northwest. They have some awesome beers! The other place we went to was a tour of Jamesons! Yum! It sounds like we are lushes, but really we aren't. I never drank so much before until we were there. It didn't feel like I was drinking either.

Hmm, Dublinia is a great museum, hooked to Christchurch Cathedral. Dublin Castle was fun. We found an awesome cheesemonger over in the pedestrian mall. Sheridan's Cheesemonger. And ThisIsKnit (yarn store) is in the mall a few streets over from there.

We never got out of Dublin at all, though we will next time.